A friend of mine, Nelson Oller, lives in Mason City Illinois and is in Ameren’s service territory. They have a whole house approach to reducing their residential customers electricity consumption. This program is great. They are helping with insulation and state-of-the-art equipment. He has to spent 2 grand for 10 thousand dollars worth of stuff. One of the thinks he was telling me about was a vent fan for the bathroom that could act as a whole house plan. I had never herd of such a thing, but according to this article it has been around for several years now.
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/bathroom-exhaust-fans
Bathroom Exhaust Fans
Bath fans help remove odors and moisture — and can be used in some homes to satisfy whole-house ventilation requirements
This isn’t a very logical ventilation method, especially when temperatures are below zero, or when the weather is 90°F and humid. Yet this time-honored method of bathroom ventilation is still enshrined in our building codes. According to the 2009 International Residential Code (sections R303.3 and M1507.3), a bathroom with an operable window does not need to have a bath exhaust fan.
Why do we need exhaust fans?
In spite of the code’s archaic loophole, builders should install an exhaust fan in every bathroom or toilet room — even when the bathroom has a window.
A bath exhaust fan can perform several functions:
- It can exhaust smelly air, allowing fresher air to enter the bathroom.
- It can exhaust humid air, allowing dryer air to enter the bathroom.
- When operated for 24 hours per day or when controlled by a timer, it can act (in some cases) as the most important component of a whole-house ventilation system.
Where does the makeup air come from?
When the bathroom door is closed and the fan is operating, where is the makeup air coming from?
If the bathroom has an exterior wall, some of the makeup air is coming from the exterior — for example, through leaks around the window or baseboard.
:}
Go there and read. More next week.
:}